Pocket structure



Oct. 15, 1940. w YAGODNlK 2,218,228

POCKET STRUCTURE Filed April 1, 1940 ENTOR.

SYM/wf EIS A Patented ct. 15, 194.0

UNITED s'rATEs ',PATENT Price 9 Claims.

This invention relates to a pocket structure for garments, the principal objectbeing the provision of a safety pocket adapted to prevent picking, a further object being the provision of a structure of this class which is relatively simple and inexpensive from a production standpoint and one which will not disgure the garment or require any unusual expediencies' or departure from approved tailoring practice.

Viewed from another aspectpit is a'specic object of the invention to provide a safety pocket, in combination with a garment, having an entrance slit including upper and lower marginal edge portions leading into the pocket, and a guard ap arranged to repose in unobstructing position in the pocket or to be raised and secured in position to block entrance to the pocket through said entrance slit.

Another particular object is the arrangement of button means on the back wall of the pocket for engagement with the flap in raised position, the garment having button engaging means at one side of the entrance slit also engageable with said button means on the back, whether the guard flap is buttoned in pocket closing position or not.

Other objects, advantages and novel aspects of the invention reside in certain details of construction as well as the cooperative relationship of the component parts of the illustrative embodiment described hereinafter in view of the annexed drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view ofI a garment employing the novel pocket structure;

Fig. 2 is a 'vertical section along lines 2 2 of Fig. 1.;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 2, showing the guard flap secured outwardly of the pocket;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective of the inside po/cket structure with a portion of the pocket cut away to show the guard ap in partly raised pocket closing position;

Fig. 5 is a perspective fragment illustrating the broad structural features of the novel pocket.

The broader structural features of the invention are best understood from an examination of Fig. 5 wherein a garment I0 in the nature of a. trousers is provided with an entrance slit I I, the marginal edge portions of which are provided with a piping or hem I2 corresponding to what is termed a double welt pocket trim. Secured to the inner side of the garment near the waistband, as at I3, and near the lower edge or welt of the entrance slit, as at I4, is a pocet I5 having secured to the inside back wall I5a thereof a foundation or backing strip I 6 to which is secured one or more fastening means, such as the buttons Secured as by stitching to the inside fron-t wall I5b of the pocket, preferably at the point I4, is a guard flap I'I which in its recumbent condition shown in Fig. 5, drops down into the pocket, permitting ready` access to the latter through the slit or entrance II. In this condition, the button I8 may obviously be engaged with a button hole I9 in the garment adjoining the upper one of the welts I2. In the construction of Fig. 1, there are two of the buttons I8 thus employed to close 01T the pocket in a manner analogous to that employed in the usual pocket structure.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be observed that the guard flap I'I is provided with button holes positioned for alignment with the button holes I9 in the garment. By raising the guard iiap into the position shown in dotted'lines in Fig. 1 and also seen in section in Fig. 2, the button holes 20 may be engaged with vthe buttons I8, and in this condition it is practically impossible to effect entrance to the pocket or to manipulate the buttons for the purpose of freeing the guard flap without the wearer of the garment being aware of the attempt.

To further secure the guardap and defeat pilfering, the buttons I8 may be engaged in the button holes I9 in the garment, as illustrated particularly in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the pocket is doubly guarded and the manipulations necessary to unbutton the guards are so complicated as to defeat the efforts of a pickpocket to effect an entrance with or without releasing the buttons.

The improved guard structure lends itself to a further variation in securing the pocket in closed condition, namely, that shown in Fig. 3, wherein the guard ap I'I is raised and passed through the entrance I I outwardly of the pocket and buttoned over the portion of the garment adjoining the upper welt or margin I2, this arrangement having ,the advantage, among others, of enlarging the pocket space above the pocket proper to accommodate elongated -or bulky objects which would not otherwise fit conveniently into the pocket with the flap buttoned as in Figs. land In tailoring the novel pocket structure, the garment isprovided with the slit or entrance opening` II, and the marginall edge portions of the slit are hemmed or piped to provide the welts I2, one or more button holes I9 being formed in the garment closely above the upper welt.

A reinforcing-or backing strip (Figs. 2 and 4), preferably of the same material as the garment, is laid against the inside of the front wall portion I5a of the pocket slightly below the lower welt I2, with an upper edge portion turned over the upper free edge portion of the pocket fabric, as at 26, to provide the lower Welt I2, with the guard flap I1 stitched thereto as at I4, the

. backing strip and guard ap being additionally stitched as at 28, 29 and 30.

The upper one of the welts I2 is preferably formed by another backing strip 3l turned over as at 32 along its lower edge and stitched as at 33 on the inside of the garment cloth I0 above the entrance slit II, the upper edge portion of this second backing strip of garment material being turned over and stitched asat 34, and the upper free edge portion of the guard flap being preferably turned over and hemmed as at 35.

The first-mentioned or rear backing strip I6 to which the buttons I8 are sewn, is secured to the inside back wall I5a of the pocket as at 36, the remaining or upper edge portion ofthe pocket fabric being stitched in with the waistband as at I3.

It will be apparent, particularly from an examination of Figs. 4 and 5, that the novel pocket structure includes a guard flap and button means especially arranged so that the flap may be in a recumbent position, hanging into the pocket and the upper welt portion of the pocket buttoned so that access to the pocket may be had only by passing the hand over the lower welt and beyond the downturned flap; or, if desired, the flap may be first buttoned interiorly ofthe pocket structure with or without additionally buttoning the,Y

top welt portion of the pocket through button holes I9, and in either case the guard flap will be secured to close off egress to the pocket, the security being greatly enhanced if the button members are engaged not only in the button holes 20 in the ap, but also in the button`holes I9 of the garment in the cloth of the upper welt position. The flexibility of the pocket structure is further illustrated by the fact that the guard flap maybe passed outwardly of., the pocket structure to overlie the upper welt portion, as

1. A pocket structure comprising, in combina-- tion with a garment, a pock-t, means providing an entrance through said garment into said pocket, a guard flap secured adjacent said entrance of the pocket for movement into av-positionl to block said entrance, and means within said pocket for releasably securing said ap in blocking position.

'2. A pocket structure comprising, in combLna-- tion With a garment, a double welt'pocket entrance in said garment, a pocket secured to said' garment and communicating with said entrance, a guard flap secured inwardly of said entrance for movement from a pendent position in the pocket into a raised position blocking said entrance and extending beyond the entrance beneath one of said welts, together with means within said pocket lor releasably securing said flap in blocking position as aforesaid.

3. A pocket structure comprising, in combination with a garment, a pocket entrance in said garment, a pocket secured at one side of said entrance close to the marginal edge thereof and having another portion secured tov said garment `in the region behind the opposite marginal edge portion oi said entrance and spaced a predetermined amount from said entrance in a direction away from said first-mentioned edge portion, a guard flap secured within said entrance close to said first-mentioned marginal edge portion and having a portion free to be raised into blocking position relative to said entrance in the region between said garment and the secondgarment behind said entrance with one of said u edge portions and another portion of said pocket terminating at a distance spaced from the second one of said marginal edge portions in a direction from the first edge portion toward the second, a

guard flap secured within said pocket close along said first-mentioned marginal edge portion and adapted to be moved in a direction generally tovvardthe second-mentioned marginal edge portion to block said entrance, said flap being provided With a button hole, and said garment in the region behind the second marginal edge portion of the garment being provided with a button hole registering with said first-mentioned button hole when the guard is in blocking position, and button meanswithin said pocket positioned to be engaged in either or both of said button holes.

5. A pocket structure in accordance with claim 4 in which vsaid guard flap is arranged and constructed to be disposed outwardly of said pocket and entrance, in which position the button hole therein'is engageable with said button means when the latter is engaged in the button hole in the garment.

6. A pocket structure comprising, in combination with a garment, means providing a pocket entrance in said garment, said entrance having opposite and substantially parallel marginal edge portions, a pocket having a mouth portion secured behind said/entrance with one marginaledge portion attached close to a first one of the marginal edges of the pocket entrance, said pocket mouth having a second edge portion secured to thelgarment behind a portion of the latter adjoining the second marginal edge portion of the entrance and spaced from said marginallmge portion in a 'direction away from the first-mentioned marginal edge portion, one or more button holes in said adjoining portion of the garment and cooperating button means for said button holesattached within the pocket, together with a'guard flap secured within the pocket closely along said first-mentioned marginal edge portion and movable into a position behind said adjoining portion of the garment and provided with one or more button holes cooperating with said button means, whereby said iiap is secured in blocking position relative to said entrance.

7. A pocket structure comprising, in combination with a garment, means providing an elongated entrance slit into the garment, a pocket aflixed to the garment and having a mouth portion into which said slit communicates, a guard flap secured closely along one of the marginal edge portions of said slit for movement into position behind the portion of said garment adjoining the opposite marginal edge portion of the slit to block said entrance, button means secured within the pocket behind said adjoining portion of the garment, said adjoining portion being provided with complementary button engaging means cooperable with said button means, said ap being provided with complementary button engaging means whereby the flap may be secured in blocking position as aforesaid and the button engaging means in the garment may also be engaged with said button means when the ap is engaged therewith as aforesaid. y

8. In a pocket structure, the combination with a garment of means providing a pocket entrance in said garment, said entrance being in the nature of an elongated slit with opposite substantially parallel marginal edge portions, a button hole formed in said garment adjacent'one of said edge portions, a lguard flap secured within said entrance inthe region along that one of the marginal edge portions which is opposite the button hole and adapted to be moved into blocking position across said entrance behind said button hole, a pocket communicating with said entrance, said ap being provided with a button hole adapted to register with the button hole in the garment when the fiap is in blocking position as aforesaid, and button means secured within the pocket and engageable with the button hole in the ap to secure the latter in blocking position, said button hole in the garment being engageable with said button means whether the latter is engaged with the iiap as aforesaid or not.

9. A pocket structure as characterized in claim 8 and further distinguished in that said ap is arrangedJ and constructed to be withdrawn from within the pocket outwardly through said entrance for engagement of thebutton hole therein with said button means when the latter is engaged in the button hole in the garment.

JOSEPH W.' YAGODNIK. 

